The summer movie season may be wheezing to a close, but it’s not dead yet. A couple of newcomers added a bit of life to the box office, with a creepy little horror flick slicing its way to the top.
Warner Bros.’ Weapons ripped an estimated $42.5 million out of moviegoers in North America this weekend to nail down the win. It earned another $27.5 million overseas to push its one-weekend global gross to a tidy $70 million. Sure, those numbers aren’t on par with, say, Superman or The Fantastic Four: First Steps. But for a relatively inexpensive horror flick? That’s the sort of box-office take that’ll put an unsettling smile on many a studio exec’s face.
Incidentally, R-rated horror films from Warner Bros. have been on a tear. Michael B. Jordan’s Sinners earned nearly $278.6 million stateside earlier this year, while Final Destination Bloodlines has banked a franchise-best $138.1 million since its May release.
The nostalgic power of Freakier Friday was no match for Weapons, but it still managed to scrape up $29 million domestically. Add in the $15.5 million it earned internationally, and the sequel (22 years in the making) has earned $44.5 million.
Two-time box-office winner The Fantastic Four: First Steps took a couple steps backward, sliding into third place with $15.5 million. Its overall domestic tally now stands at $230.4 million, and its global take has now reached $434.2 million. Impressive? Sure—even if it’s not quite enough to fund a new spaceship for Reed Richards and company. Indeed, most believe that the film hasn’t even broken even just yet. Perhaps Disney/Marvel can hold a Fantastic Four bake sale or something.
The Bad Guys 2 finished fourth with $10.4 million, giving it a $43.4 million total domestic take thus far. Another long-gestating sequel/reboot, The Naked Gun, closed out the top five with $8.4 million.
Looking down the list a bit, Angel Studios’ Sketch eked into the box office’s top 10 with a $2.5 million weekend. It deserved a better fate for its opening frame, in my opinion. So here’s hoping for a nice, long run. Meanwhile, My Mother’s Wedding finished 13th with a paltry $432,000. Wedding? That feels more like a box-office funeral.
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